Category Archives: Garment Sewing

Every Musician Needs a [Pure] White Top

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If you read my earlier review of Vogue 8837, you saw the new top I made to accompany that skirt for performances with The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus. For any woman who is a) endowed, and b) lacking in Full Bust Adjustment skills, Vogue 8831 is One Fabulous Top. And when I slipped it on today with my Eileen Fisher washable stretch crepe straight-leg pants and a wide belt for today’s Fun With Opera performance at YSU’s Dana School of Music, I realized I had hit the jackpot with this top. It will be worn again and again. (Click on … Continue reading →

Katherine Tilton’s Easy-Peasy Skirt

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Musicians can never have too many black garments, right? I already own four black skirts. Two fit me. None please me. So for my Blossom Music Center performance last weekend with The Cleveland Orchestra and the Blossom Festival Chorus, I wanted a new skirt. I wanted it to be easy to create. And it had to be washable. Ever since making a couple pair of Marcy Tilton’s fast and easy pants (Vogue 8859 – take 1, take 2), I’ve been wanting to try Katherine TIlton’s pants and skirt pattern, Vogue 8837. It looked like it would go together quickly and … Continue reading →

Another Summery Top in a Southwestern Print

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When ordering several pieces of fabric for tops recently from Emma One Sock, I fell in love with this print. The EOS site describes it as “a soft and buttery, very lightweight rayon/spandex jersey.” Buttery. Absolutely. There’s a sheen to this fabric makes me think it’s silk and spandex, not rayon and spandex. Soft. Like buttah! I decided to make it in Vogue 8831, which allows me to fit for cup size. I chose View A for the cap sleeves, and decided to just to a neck band rather than the voluminous cowl. I had just made this pattern (not … Continue reading →

Summertime!

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Last weekend the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus (of which I am a member) performed “Porgy & Bess” highlights at Blossom Music Center in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I loved every minute of rehearsal and performance. Northeast Ohio has been inundated with rain, heat and humidity this summer—this is my fifth year here and the worst summer in my experience. So we were all dripping with perspiration while rehearsing and performing on the outdoor stage. Two weeks of sitting in hot rehearsal rooms, culminating with an extra-hot stage, made me want cool clothes! When I stopped at Waechter’s Fine Fabrics … Continue reading →

Something for a Hot and Humid Summer

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When I was in Santa Barbara in February, I picked up a bolt end that Marcy Tilton had on her clearance table. It was a cocoa-and-turquoise stripe—good colors for me—in a touchably soft cotton jersey. Ever since I finished the cocoa pants just prior to our vacation trip to France, I’ve been wanting to get this top made to go with the pants. The late-June/early-July weather in Northeast Ohio has been unusually hot and humid, and my wardrobe is low on cool tops. So here’s my cool top. Pattern Description: Marcy Tilton T-shirt, Vogue 8671, View A Pattern Sizing: Misses … Continue reading →

Poster City

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Yesterday I finished another version of Katherine Tilton’s Vogue 8817, View A. I am in love with this top. I think the neckline is one of the most flattering necklines I’ve ever worn. You may remember I made a top out of this pattern/view before the trip to France. The fabric is another Emma One Sock delight that Linda calls “Poster City.” The fabric is a 96% rayon/4% lycra blend that feels like buttah. This print is a little out of the norm for me, and I absolutely love it. Would you believe that, prior to last summer, I didn’t … Continue reading →

Me Made May ’13

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For wearable crafters, last month was Me Made May. I wanted to participate, but knew I was spending half of May away from home–eleven days in France and five days in North Carolina. So I participated in a quieter fashion than most. If you’re a regular reader, you know I was obsessively sewing prior to my tour of France. If you scroll backwards through the posts written since the end of January, you’ll see the results of all that activity. While in France, I believe there was only one day I didn’t wear something I had made. And on all … Continue reading →

This Project in Use

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A few days before leaving for France, I finished a long, flounced halter dress for my granddaughter, Ridley, who would turn 10 at the end of the month. Ridley’s mother’s family has a lot of height genes, so this child was wearing size 9 shoes and girls’ size 14 clothes when she was 9. I believe I”ll be making clothes for her for years to come. As I said in the blog post about the dress construction, I had cut the dress too large, but was able to alter it in such a way that I will be able to … Continue reading →